What Different Types of Crowded Closets Suggest About Their Owners

Jennifer James and her husband don't have a lot of clutter—but they do find it hard to part with their children's things. The guest cottage behind their home in Oklahoma City is half-filled with old toys, outgrown clothing, artwork, school papers, two baby beds, a bassinet and a rocking horse.

"Every time I think about getting rid of it, I want to cry," says Ms. James, a 46-year-old public-relations consultant. She fears her children, ages 6, 8 and 16, will grow up and think she didn't love them if she doesn't...